Railroad-crossing flag signal



6. M. INGRAM RAILROAD CROSSING FLAG SIGNAL Feb, 10, 1925.

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Patented F eb- 5, V

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLIFTON M. INGRAM, or PORTER, OKLAHOMA, ASSIGNOR or ONE-HALF To ROBERTDEZDMO'N, F PORTER, OKLAHOMA,

RAILROAD-CROSSING FLAG SIGNAL.

Application filed April 10, 1924. Serial No. 705,583.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CLIFTON M. INGRAM, a citizen of the United States,residing at Porter, in the county of Wagoner and State of Oklahoma, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvementsin Railroad-Crossing FlagSignals; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates. to a flag or signal for use particularly atrailroad crossings in order to apprise the public andtraflic ofapproaching trains both at night and in the day time, as a safeguardagainst accidents.

It is aimed to provide a novel and efficient construction wherein theflag will be exposed or in signalling position only while the train isin motion, (a construction in which the flag or signal is operated by anelectric motor can only descend to a predetermined extent and aconstruction in. which the lighting of one or more lamps carried therebywill be controlled through its movement.

Additional objects and advantages will become apparent from aconsideration of the description following takenv in connection with theaccompanying drawings illustrating an operative embodiment.

In said drawings Figure 1 is a view illustrating the inventiondiagrammatically in connection with Y railroad crossings;

Figure 2 is a side elevation showing the improved apparatus;

Figure 3 is a central vertical sectional view through the tower of theapparatus;

Figure 4 is an end view of the tower with the motorhousingin section;

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 3,'and

Figure 6 is a diagrammati view showing the circuit through the lamps ofthe flag closed.

Like reference characters designate like or similar parts in thedifferent views.

Referring specifically tothe drawings and first to Figure 1, a railroadcrossing 1s suggested at A. B designates the tracks over which therolling stock travels and the sections of Which at the crossing are in ablock insulated from the remaining sections of the track as at C. Inorder to obviate the accidents so frequently occurring at railroadcrossings A is the prime purpose of the pres ent invention. a y

The invention proper has both of its parts arranged in a tower orhousing 10 which is supported as by a stand 11 or in any other way atone side of the track adjacent the crossing but so as to be seen bytraflic and the public from either sideand from a considerable distance.

Normally concealed within the tower 10 intermediate side walls 12thereof is a flag or signal 18 of any appropriate size and design andcolor. It is preferred to paint the same red and to equip it with anysuitable number of lamps as at 14, which are also preferably red. Theflag 13 is adapted to be moved at desired times for signalling purposesfrom the full line position of Figure 8 to the dotted line position ofthe same figure. In the dotted line position, it will be below the sidewalls 12 and subject to the view of the public and trafiic.

The flag or signal 13 is normally held elevated through the medium ofthe Weight 15 carried by a cable or flexible element 16 which is trainedover a pulley 17 journaled on a short shaft or axle 18. The cable 16extends from a bar 19 which is riveted or bolted as at 20 to the flag.This bar 19 is movable intermediate guide plates 21 suitably fastened tothe inner surfaces of the walls 12 and they have guide pins or studs 22bridging them and located in an elongated slot 23 of bar 19.. Along oneedge, bar 19 is provided with racked teeth 24. Racked teeth 24 are inmesh with idler gear wheel 25 journaled on a short shaft 26 bridgingwalls 12. The gear wheel or pinion 25 in cooperation with the teeth 24serves to steady the flag during its movement that will later beapparent.

A rackbar 27 parallel to rack bar 19 is rigidly fastened to the flag orsignal 13 as at 28. Rack bar 27 is disposed between plates 29 secured tothe inner surfaces of walls 12 Shaftior rod 42'rotatable on a horizontaland having guide lugs or pins 30 bridging them and disposed in anelongated slot 31 of said rack bar 2'7. The teeth of the latter rack barare designated 32 and mesh with the teeth of a gear wheel or pinion 33.

A shelf 34 is offset from one of the side walls of the tower and coveredby a casing or housing 35. hlounted on shelf 34 within the housing 35 isan electric motor 36 whose main or transmission shaft is designated 3'?and has the pinion or gear whel keyed thereon so that the gear wheelwill drive the rack bar 27 when the motor .36 is energized. It will benoted that the teeth 32 extend but partway of the length of bar 27. tothe en d thatv theextent of downward driving movement of the flag 13through the medium of the pinion 33 is limited.

The electric current for operation of the motor 36 may be supplied forinstance from a battery 38 having a conductor 39 connected to one of therails B and a conductor 40 connected totheimotor. Another conductor 41extends from the motor to the companion rail B. The circuit through the.motor is adapted to be closedhy rolling stock passing over the rail Bin any suitable manner. For instance a tram or rolling stock may carry,as shown in Figure 1, a

axis. At each end rod 42has spring arms 43 fastened to it and tofollowers 44 slidable along the shaft 42. Spring arms 43 carry contactrings 45. As a result of this construction, the arms function asgovernors through rotation ofshaft 42 in order to .moveiat their centersaway from the shaft 42 andto move the conductor rings 45 into engagementwith the rails B and thus close the and the weight 15 will elevate .theflag.

However upon the train starting again, the

:rings 45 will be immediately thrown into circuit closing relation withthe rails B.

The lamps 14.are preferably of the electric type and;adaptcd to beilluminated from the same battery 38 as operates the motor.

To this end cqnductors 46 and 47 are connected to the conductors 41 and40 and lead to contacts 48 .and 49 of a circuit closer.

Condnctor 46 has considerable slack as at 50 to compensate for themovement of flag 13 .and such conductor is in series with the lamps 14.Contact 48 is carried by and insulated from the bar 27 while the contact49 is carried by and insulated from the frame 10 Within'the housing ortower. Contact 49 is vertically slidable and urged u pwardly by anexpansive spring 50 engaging the same and a bracket 51 which mounts it.The spring 50 cushions the engagement of the contacts 48 and 49.

It will be understood that all of the wheels on one side of each car areinsulated from the axles.

In operation when a train or rollingstock enters the block. the circuitthrough the electric motor 36 is closed due to the engagement ofconductor rings 45 with the rails B. Mo tor 36 being thus operateddrives its shaft 37 and pinion so that the latter will move the flag 13downwardly into the exposed dotted line position of'Figure 3 where itconstitutes a signal and a warning to approaching traificiand thepublic. The flag 13 can only move downwardly to a limited extent sincethe teeth 32 donot extend the full length of the bar and their lengthgovernsthe extent of movement of said flag. When the flag approaches itsdownward limit or signal position, the contacts 48 and 49 engage, andthus an electric circuit is closed=through the lamps 14 to add to theefficiency of the signal particularly in the night-time. The Ha 13cannot elevate to its normal concealed position whilethe motor is inoperation but. when the train passesout of of the block. the motorbecomes deenergized and :idle and hence the weight 15 is free to elevatethe flag-to normal position. Even should the train stop while in theblock, the signal 13 would not be in its signalpositionsince the rings45 would be retracted due to idleness of shaft 42.=and the weight 15would thus be free to elevate the signal. The flag would howeverimmediately be moved to signalling position upon the train againstarting.

Various changes may be resorted to provided, they fall within the spiritand scope of the invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. A signalling apparatus of the class described consisting of asignal1nemher.-bars extending thcrefro1n.oneans associated with one of saidbars to normally maintain the signal retracted, and means in drivingrelation with the other bar to project thesignal, said bars havingelongated slots, guide plates between which the bars are disposed. andmeans disposed in said slots and coact ing with the guide plates toguide the bars, illuminating means carried by the signal. a contactcarried by one of the bars in combination with a. contact carried by asupport and engageable with-thefirst mentioned con tact to close anelectric circuit through the illuminating means.

2. Asigna-lling apparatus of the class described having a housingconsisting of spaced sides. a signal member normally concealed betweensaid sides. parallel bars extending from said signal member, guideplates secured to said sides, said bars having in mesh with saidracked-teeth, and an elecelongated slots, guide elements cooperatingtrio motor to drive said pinion. 10 with said slots and said guide bars,a pulley In testimony whereof I affix my signature carried by one of theplates, at flexible elein presence of two Witnesses.

; 1nent extending from one of the bars and trained over the pulley, aWeight on said CLIFTON M. INGRAM. flexible element to urge retraction ofthe sig- Witnesses: nal, the other bar having racked teeth ex- D. N.FINK, Jr.,

tending part Way along the same, a pinion P. J. HARRIS.

